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The Varsoon Collection, Volume 2 - The Quest for Immortality (House Item)
}} Book Text This book is titled "The Varsoon Collection, Volume 2 - The Quest for Immortality ". It is a complete volume that details the quest of a young mage to find the secrets of immortality. Many say that some questions are best left unanswered. For those engaged in the highest of pursuits, this is more of a challenge than a prohibition. Indeed, some say that there are those to whom the words, "That is impossible" should never be uttered. The stories surrounding Varsoon's quest for immortality primarily come from a journal found in the Academy of Arcane Science's private larders. Looking for a midnight snack, a student happened upon it behind a jar of prune marmalade. The writer of the journal, one Aldrenus, claimed to be the apprentice of the great mage Varsoon. According to the account kept in the journal, Valdoartus Varsoon possessed an ivory cup that he called nothing more than the Chalice. He believed it was the key to unlocking the secrets to immortality. Once he found the way to granting eternal life, he planned on sharing the secret with anyone who wanted it. With this goal in mind, Valdoartus would set off on his greatest expedition ever. Aldrenus, his apprentice, was to assist him in his quest. Valdoartus, who was an accomplished Planar Thaumaturge, opened a rift between the planes and traveled to the Plane of Knowledge. They spent a great while there as Valdoartus perused the books that lined the library's shelves. Aldrenus seems to have lost track of the time spent there, for the entries are rather scattered with the dates. Eventually, however, Valdoartus found what he was looking for. From there, the master and apprentice traveled to a place of calm, serene beauty. Rather than relax, as Aldrenus claims he begged his master to do, they trekked long and hard throughout the idyllic countryside, seeking something only Valdoartus knew of. When they came upon a large sundial, Valdoartus supposedly proclaimed that he was on the right track. Valdoartus then proceeded to open a rift to a land of darkest night, and they trekked aimlessly among the trees. Or so it seemed, according to Aldrenus. At the point when Aldrenus was positive the trees were following them, Valdoartus looked to the distance and nodded his head. The great mage then opened another rift, urging Aldrenus quickly through. Aldrenus writes that the plane they entered was even worse than the previous nightmarish landscape. As far as the eye could see, the land looked to be composed of pestilent flesh. All manner of maggots, flies, and rodents walked freely within this plague-ridden land. According to Aldrenus, after a long walk, the great mage reached down to cut a large chunk of the fleshy earth and placed it into a container. A moment later, he opened a planar rift once again. They arrived back within the tranquil countryside they had left not so long ago. Aldrenus states he felt rather weak from the travels in the disease-ridden plane they had just left. Valdoartus apparently looked exasperated, claiming the discovery was so close. The apprentice convinced his master to allow him to stay behind for the last trip. At that, Valdoartus opened another rift and stepped through. The journal from this point on is filled with a number of entries describing what Aldrenus did to fill his time. It seems the apprentice was perfectly content to stay in this serene land and was a bit annoyed that Valdoartus returned eventually. Upon Valdoartus's face was an enormous smile. The great mage then opened one last rift and they traveled home. According to Aldrenus, when they arrived back home Valdoartus told him to fetch a book from the Sixteenth Library. Valdoartus opened the book, read it for a brief moment and said nothing more than, "I found it. It's been here the whole time." Sadly, Aldrenus failed to mention the name of the book. Instead, the remaining entries are filled with nothing more than cursing after he found out that they had been gone for forty years. The last entry is that of him quitting the next day.